


One More For A Standing Hand

by ActualHurry



Series: A Drifter's Gambit: Unabridged [3]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Angry Sex?, Lore Compliant, M/M, Oral Fixation, Porn With Plot, gambit - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 05:06:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16319693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ActualHurry/pseuds/ActualHurry
Summary: The Drifter and the Renegade spectate the first Gambit match from up on the Derelict. Things don't quite go as planned.(Set during "A Matter of Trust".)EDIT 3/7: Revised to comply with lore revealed during Joker's Wild.





	One More For A Standing Hand

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT 3/7: Revised to comply with lore revealed during Joker's Wild. No spoilers outright, but hints are contained within.

Shin wanted to make one thing clear. Undeniably, obviously, inherently clear.

He did not trust the Drifter alone.

And he was fairly certain that the Drifter didn’t trust the Renegade. Not enough to merit considering, anyway. Certainly, Drifter would never trust _Shin_. Shin wouldn’t blame him for it, couldn’t. He had plenty of reasons not to trust him in the least.

Standing on the raised catwalk next to Drifter, Shin watched him watch the first Gambit match. His eyes were bright, dangerous-like, shining all steely. His jaw was rigid, brows together in concentration, like watching Gambit was his life’s calling. There was a smirk like success on his face as he followed all the action, bit by bit towards an end of round result. Every so often, the Drifter turned his attention to Shin. Fleeting, but still – he’d shift his gaze on over and back again as if he hadn’t meant to be caught checking what Shin was thinking but couldn’t help himself, despite the expressionless helmet shielding Shin’s frown from view.

But… Yeah. Shin figured Drifter trusted the Renegade. Enough for the Renegade to be standing alongside him, and wasn’t that a thought?

The Derelict was a big, creaking thing, but even its creaking couldn’t cover the sounds of gunshots and grenades coming through the screen. The screen looked like one Shaxx had for the Crucible; somehow it wasn’t surprising that when Drifter’d asked him to nab one, he’d had this purpose for it.

On the screen itself, one Guardian was sprinting towards the dark, swirling portal near the bank. It made Shin’s skin crawl funny under his armor. Made his eyes narrow, looking at the invader taking ground against the opposing team. Spoke all sorts about what Drifter was playing at here with his Gambit. Sure, take down enemies of humanity. The Hive were nasty pests, the Fallen were on the way out anyway, and Vex gave any Guardian with any sense the shivers. But Guardian versus Guardian on a field like this, no holds barred and no mercy given...

It was enough to make a man nearly reconsider some things.

The Titan who’d taken the leap into the abyss leapt into the air and came down with a great electric smash on top of two of the opposing team. Motes spiraled out of existence with little farewell sparkles. Shin could practically taste the Arc energy from here.

“Look at ‘em go,” Drifter said, his arms crossed in front of him and a smug curl to his lip. “Monsters, aren’t they? Should be proud.”

Shin could think of several people he’d run into that were monsters, but none of the Guardians on the field were one of them. Someday, maybe. If they kept on this path. Kept chasing the high of victory like this.

Drifter caught the silence for what it was and scoffed. “Y’know what I _mean_. Kick the solemn act for once in your long lives, this is what a fucking show looks like!” He gestured outwards as the Titan was sent back to their side of the arena. “High-stakes, fast-paced, no stoppin’ any of ‘em now! This is what real training is. Shaxx’s Crucible has got _nothin’_ on this.”

Shin shifted his weight. “It does its job.”

“Gambit does it better,” Drifter growled. Then he turned to Shin, tearing his too-bright eyes off of the screen. “Back in my day, the world didn’t spawn you back in a safe zone, far enough from the action to catch your breath. We fought, we got bloody, we _died_ and we learned. It ain’t how it goes these days. Guardians are soft.”

Shin thought much the same; it hadn’t only taken the Red War to show him that. “Lonely way of life.”

“Can’t say you don’t see it too.” Drifter toyed with a coin. Flipped it this way and that. “Go on, tell me I’m wrong. Tell me Guardians are still as hardened as they used to come. The hell they are.” The coin slipped between two fingers and was gone. “You know s’well as I do, you get picked by a Ghost, you can drag yourself outta that grave _kicking._ ”

Shin wouldn’t know anything about that. He kept his mouth shut, let Drifter pace to the other side of the catwalk with his arms raised high.

“But they don’t anymore! Ghaul killed plenty of ‘em. Woulda killed more too if he’d had the chance. If one shining star hadn’t played hero.” Drifter spun on a heel and grinned right at Shin. “But Crucible didn’t prepare nobody for that now, did it?”

Good thing he’d moved away, or Shin would’ve decked him in the face then and there. He wanted to shake him and ask: _what’s your fucking point?_ The man had a way with words – a real long-winded way. “Why d’you think I’m so keen on Gambit?”

Seemingly pleased, Drifter’s cheshire grin slid to a more genuine smile. “Yeah. Exactly. The City needs its Guardians. The Guardians need Gambit. Easy math.”

Emotion kept carefully folded back, Shin looked at the screen again to watch the match. He blinked, almost unsure of what he was seeing for a second, and then realized it was Taken. A whole lot of Taken – most familiar. One assuredly not. It was too dark to be a normal Taken. Too full of rage and hate to be something outta this world. 

Even on a screen, Shin felt that deep ache, the empty, fathomless hunger, like it was his own. And the Guardians felt it too, judging by the sudden scatter.

“That, my friend, is a Primeval,” Drifter said at his shoulder. Shin whipped his head around to face him, blood roaring in his ears. Despite it, he could hear that reverential sorta edge to Drifter’s voice, something funny in the words there. “Sorry ‘bout it.”

Shin threw him into the bannister separating catwalk from open air. Drifter’s _whoa-whoa-whoa!_ cut off with a hiss when he slammed into the rail and was pressed into it, back near bent over the edge. Gripping Drifter’s hair with one hand, Shin drew his gun with the other, gently resting it right up against that soft space between throat and jaw.

“‘ _Sorry’_?” Shin demanded, all his anger bursting out in the single wrathful echo.

“It was only necessary deception,” Drifter told him lazily, acting more inconvenienced than truly threatened. He raised both hands placatingly.

Shin jostled him, stepped between his spread knees more completely. The movement pushed Drifter over the side that much more, but he didn’t complain. Just seemed like he was disappointed that he was missing out on the action on the screen. This was part of the game, too, this tug of war between what was happening and what could happen. If Shin had expected this, well, maybe it was a bit much seeing it right in front of him.

Feeling that ache. Yearning with that hunger. His every bone, greeting the abyss.

“Anything else you feel like sharin’ with me?” Shin asked, low.

Drifter laughed. A flash of green caught Shin’s eye, and that coin came back into view between his fingers. He held it up. Showed the symbol for Gambit on it. “Heeeyyy, now. Take a load off, pal. Stress ain’t a good look for you.”

Shin shoved back from Drifter, nearly sending him toppling over the side, and holstered his gun. Drifter caught himself and reeled forward, grabbing a belt loop on Shin’s pants to steady.

“Don’t be like that,” he crooned. “You never woulda let me run this gig if I told you beforehand.”

Shin looked right at him, all but burning alive. Drifter never looked away, to his credit. Just met his gaze, somewhere in the middle, and smirked a little before slipping that coin into Shin’s pocket. “I can make it up t’you,” offered Drifter then.

With more than the coin alone, Shin hoped. “Don’t screw around.”

Drifter laughed again, leaning into his space. Shin only swayed back a little before Drifter tugged him closer again, daring, playing with fire. “Lookie there. All these softies made it out alive,” he commented idly, looking past Shin at the screen.

Which meant they’d be transmatted back in a few. Shin shoved away from him completely with a huff, bristling, stalking his way deeper into the Derelict, just in time for the Guardians to appear on the eight pads below the catwalk. He could hear Drifter ragging on one of the teams distantly, the sound bouncing off the halls, as he reached Drifter’s makeshift room. It was still a mess. Shin stared at the embarrassing attempt at a bed with a scowl.

This was too close. The Renegade needed to disappear, or else things could get… complicated. Callum’s remains, Drifter tipping him off like that. Spending this much time close to him. Real close. Everything would only get more difficult from here. He should’ve been gone already, should’ve hightailed it weeks ago.

Shin was still contemplating his escape when Drifter stepped into the room behind him. “So damn shy,” he complained. “Don’t want nobody knowin’ you’re around? It’s enough to make a man suspect.”

And then Drifter was moving around the front of Shin, slotting himself there against his chest as if he had the right. When did Shin start allowing it? He supposed he’d never been anything but willing. Still, even now, _willing_ , when he pushed Drifter towards the bed, frustrated and angry and cagey. They had some time before the Guardians were finished with their game.

That was all it was, he thought with his hackles lowering slowly, slowly. Only a game, to most. The Guardians needed it to get better and play their limits. Shin needed it to keep working, keep running, so he could watch. So long as Drifter stayed true to his word. If Gambit kept benefiting him, Shin knew he would.

“Won’t tell a lie, but you puttin’ a gun to my head was pretty good,” Drifter said easily as he dropped to the bed, spreading his legs again too purposefully to be anything but a come-on. “Really did somethin’ for me. Not kiddin’.”

“I wasn’t playin’ around,” Shin managed, unable to ignore the memory of Drifter’s totally unbothered reaction to the threat.

“Sure, _you_ weren’t.”

Not particularly wanting to burst at the seams out of irritation that he couldn’t even threaten Drifter properly, Shin shoved his pants down around his knees without even bothering to toe off his boots. Drifter made a grab for the backs of his legs and yanked him closer, worked off the outer layer of Shin’s chest armor with a vengeance. They’d never fully gotten out of their clothes when they fucked; Shin certainly wasn’t about to do it now. But he was surprised enough to let Drifter work at it for a bit too long, just to see him sweat, before he unclasped things himself with an expert touch. He wasn’t about to let his Ghost take it off for him.

But as soon as his shoulders were bare, Drifter dug teeth into his skin and made Shin jolt.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Shin rasped, unsure how much he enjoyed the fact that heat shot straight to his dick. Especially as Drifter licked a long line from shoulder to neck, nuzzling at the edge of the armor coming down from the helmet.

Weirded out enough to pause whatever was going on but not weirded out enough to stop things completely, Shin hooked a still-gloved finger into Drifter’s mouth, between his teeth and cheek, and then pulled him away. He hissed as Drifter bit him, then quieted when he sucked instead.

Foreplay wasn’t what Shin wanted though. He wanted something fast, and hard, and stunning. Something thoughtless. He freed his hands and pulled Drifter’s pants down, rumbling approval in his throat as Drifter wet a palm with his tongue and stroked Shin slowly, just enough to keep things interesting. Drifter was already hard, Shin somehow wasn’t surprised to notice, though a part of him felt oddly flattered. He settled himself between Drifter’s thighs, peeling off a glove. Just one.

“Hey,” Drifter said, then handed over a familiar little oil bottle. Shin wondered where the hell he’d been keeping it.

“Awful presumptuous.” He took it anyway, slicking two fingers and pressing them in.

Drifter dropped his head back with a long breath before he gave a lazy reply. “Apparently not, friend. Besides…” He swallowed as Shin spread those two fingers, then paused to groan with a particularly ambitious thrust. “I’m all about what’s mutually beneficial. Should know that by now.”

They had a few more minutes. Shin worked Drifter ‘til he panted and demanded _more_ , and then some, because Shin wasn’t in the business of making anything easy for him. He pushed in finally, took a deep breath and kept it slow at first. Dragging it out, maybe. For himself or for Drifter… he wasn’t so sure. Especially not with how he’d been so fired up, all of some moments ago.

It was some sort of goodbye, he figured. And he hated that a little bit, or a lot. Hated that he was attached – not to the sex, not to the man. But he was attached to how easy it was to vent anger like this, in the absence of his usual management. Shin felt like he’d fallen so far.

And then Drifter dragged him in roughly by the hips and made him gasp and slow wasn’t enough anymore. “Takin’ your sweet time, I can respect it,” Drifter growled, tossing a leg over Shin’s waist and with more strength than Shin expected considering what was going on at the moment, wrestled Shin underneath him and then sank right back down onto his cock.

Shin nearly bit off his tongue.

One hand gripped the bed like he might have been dying, the other digging fingers into Drifter’s thigh. Shin pushed heels into the stupid, stupid mattress and met Drifter’s momentum halfway, fucked up into him each time until they were both knocked a little bit speechless. Shin tasted copper as his teeth cut into his cheek, keeping himself silent. When Drifter made a grab at his cock, Shin knocked his hand out of the way and took it instead, gripping at the base.

“You’re fuckin’ _mean_ ,” Drifter gasped like a compliment, and Shin came with a strangled curse, loosened his hold just enough to let Drifter keep fucking down onto him despite the shivering sensitivity, despite the tiny aftershock tingles. It wasn’t but another few seconds before he followed Shin over that edge, and suddenly, dazedly, Shin was glad he’d taken off his armor.

They both stayed like that at first. Catching their breath, cooling off. Drifter moved off of him eventually. It wasn’t all unkindness; Drifter tossed over what appeared to be a rag cut from some part of an old robe-like armor. Shin wiped himself off, then threw it back to him.

“Match’s almost over,” he remarked, still laying back.

Drifter hummed his satisfied agreement, working on righting his clothes. “Gotta go congratulate the victors. They come out stronger for it.”

“Guess they do.”

After a little while longer, Drifter left the room with as much composure as he ever had, no doubt to do just that – congratulate the victors. Tell them all farewell, come back, make sure to stop by again to get their payment and another shot at a win. They’d come back, of course. Guardians liked that competition. Shin felt it too, boiling in his blood. That desire for a good challenge. And what was more challenging than going up against not only enemies of humanity, but another group of Guardians, salivating at the chance to challenge you right back?

Shin moved a bit to get his hand in his pocket, taking out the coin Drifter had slipped there. One side, the Gambit symbol. The other side… a bullet, two wings on either side of it. Four dots below.

Was Drifter catching on, then? Or was this a gift, too, a gift like he’d give any other Guardian running circles ‘round his matches, banking motes upon motes for him?

Shin sat up and pocketed the coin when he was standing again. Got his armor back on. The Drifter’s Gambit was well off enough now. Shin couldn’t stay. Routine was threatening. It was time for someone else to keep an eye on Drifter.

Somebody other than him.

**Author's Note:**

> The symbol described (poorly) can be found on the Malfeasance's exotic perk. :)


End file.
